- "So I was to be a playwright, news that made my breath catch in my throat with the glory of it. By day I would teach, and by night, with Mr. Swift and Mr. Shakespeare for company, I would use my pen to feed tragic and comic words into the mouths of my players. I would find stories in Bodie's best nuggets—in secrets behind masks."
- —Angeline Reddy[3]
Angeline Maude Sullivan Reddy (born c. 1866) was the daughter of Emma and Patrick Reddy. She was a resident of Bodie, California, a rough mining town. In June of 1880, her father disappeared, but Angeline refused to believe he was dead. She was good friends with Eleanor Tucker and Ling Loi Wing.
Biography[]
Early life[]
Angeline was born around 1866.[2] Her full name combined the names of her maternal grandmother and aunt.[1] She lived in Bodie, California with her parents, Emma and Patrick Reddy.
Summer of 1880[]
In June of 1880, Antoine Duval, a Wells Fargo clerk, informed Angeline and her mother about the demise of Patrick. Both of them cited the lack of evidence as reason to believe he was still alive. Angeline's suspicions were confirmed, when she saw her father's empty coffin at Ward's Undertaking Shop. Not long later, she met Ling Loi Wing, who gave Angeline a message from her father, a key.
She used the key to open her father's antechamber, where she found an envelope titled "601", the name of a vigilante gang in town. Angeline, not long later, brought her friend, Eleanor Tucker to the antechamber, when a strange ghost-like figure appeared. Later, Antoine took Angeline to see her father towards the end of June. He promised to come out of hiding soon. In the meantime, Angeline and the other women in town prepared for the Fourth of July masquerade ball.
On the day of the ball, Patrick arrived suddenly and exposed the corruptness of Sheriff Kelley and Constable Kirgan. After the end of the ball, Angeline, Eleanor, and her mother, Ida found Eleanor's father, Darryl at Ward's Shop. At Eleanor's urging, he revealed a terrible secret and the mystery of the apparition was closed. The night ended with Antoine telling Angeline he made "a discovery," meaning Angeline herself.
Later life[]
In 1881, Angeline moved with her family to San Francisco, where her father opened a new law practice. She was attending the University of California at Berkeley, when she published her play, The Bold Bad Boys of Bodie under the name, A.M. Reddy. At one of the performances, Antoine Duval went back stage to propose to her; Angeline accepted.
Personality and traits[]
Angeline was shy in public and around strangers. However, she was able to be outspoken in front of loved ones and in particular times of need. Her friend, Eleanor once described Angeline as "a forward, cheeky girl." She was also extremely stubborn and refused to back down, traits that she inherited from her mother.
She was smart and enjoyed reading, such as the plays of William Shakespeare, whom she mentioned several times. Her was dream was to write plays à la Shakespeare. Antoine Duval also compared her way of speaking to the Irish satirist, Jonathan Swift.
Family tree[]
Emma Reddy (c. 1849-1906) | Patrick Reddy | Ned Reddy | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Angeline Reddy (b. 1866) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Behind the scenes[]
- Angeline is the main character of Behind the Masks written by Susan Patron.
- Patrick and Emma Reddy were real people, who lived in Bodie during the 1880s.[4] However, the couple had no children and Angeline is a work of fiction created by Patron.
- Angeline, Pringle Rose, and Minnie Bonner are all affected by the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.
Appearances[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Behind the Masks, Susan Patron, page 53
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Behind the Masks, Susan Patron, pages 31, 252
- ↑ Behind the Masks, Susan Patron, page 268
- ↑ Gunfighters, Highwaymen & Vigilantes: Violence on the Frontier, Roger D. McGrath, pages 120-123
See also[]